Sam Sachdeva

The growing pains shaping a Canterbury mayoral race Selwyn's population is booming, and its economy is also holding up, so why is its three-term mayor facing a tough re-election battle?

Did a deep-ish dive on the race for the mayoralty in Canterbury's Selwyn district, which raises some interesting questions about how councils handle rapid growth, the rates debate, and the relationship between central and local govt. More here: newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/06/t...

OpenAI employees are very excited about how well their new AI tool can create fake videos of people doing crimes and have definitely thought through all the implications of this

Damp squib energy reforms reject 8 of 10 review recommendations Analysis: The Government's limited energy package doubles down on fossil fuels after a market review recommends privatising the gentailers

New: My analysis on the Government's just-announced energy reforms. The uninspired package doubles down on fossil fuels, after a major market review recommended privatising the gentailers.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/01/g...

I think the 'pragmatic' element (about which I hope the piece makes clear my feelings) is the argument that other countries recognising Palestine has made the situation in Gaza worse rather than better, and we're best to wait for some unknown time when the conditions for peace are better

challenge their govts' policy, it should say* - cf theguardian.com/politics/202... and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Comment: A crucial part of New Zealand’s national identity – or myth, depending on your cynicism levels – is our history of moral leadership on the world stage. Whether on nuclear-free advocacy, the suffragette movement or the war in Iraq, we like to tell ourselves we are willing to put our head above the parapet on issues that affect our national conscience. Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ announcement that New Zealand will not yet support Palestinian statehood, splitting from the announcements made by Australia, the United Kingdom and a number of other close partners, at least technically maintains our claim to an independent foreign policy. But the coalition’s decision will leave a sour taste in the mouths of many New Zealanders, and a sense that pragmatism (bordering on cowardice) has trumped principle when it comes to the future of a territory that a United Nations commission has determined is being subjected to genocide.

From me this morning - Coalition’s Palestine cop-out puts pragmatism above principle: newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/28/c...

I can’t help but wonder how the officials at Mfat are feeling about the coalition’s decision on Palestine: we’ve seen officials in other countries their govts’ policy, and NZ is now a real outlier on the issue

Reserve Bank set to appoint first woman as governor, according to reports

What are Eve's financial credentials though?

NZ First 'agreed to disagree' on the China trade deal in 2008 too - and Winston was foreign minister at the time! Confidence and supply deal rather than coalition, but still.

Izquierda Derecha, by Juan Genovés, 1967, 📸 via @beysicc

Post now deleted, more or less confirming it was a DM. Great opsec!

we should have never normalized filming strangers in public and posting them as content

Uhhhhh

Simeon Brown looks the taniwha in the eye without blinking – yet Analysis: New research overrides the Government's insistence that nursing shifts are safely staffed, suggesting thousands more hires are needed.

New research overrides the Government’s insistence that nursing shifts are safely staffed, suggesting thousands more hires are needed. My analysis:
newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/18/s...

'Significant doubt' Chathams council can continue as a going concern – auditor

Unable to afford to provide even basic services, there are fears for the remote island community's continued financial viability. Jonathan Milne reports.

Strong support for Māori wards from council candidates A Newsroom survey with responses from more than a third of council candidates shows support for co-governance and Māori wards.

The 2025 edition of Newsroom's local government survey has reached more than a third of all candidates for council or mayor of a district/city/unitary council.

Today, I report it shows strong support for Māori wards and co-governance among the cohort of respondents.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/16/s...

Chinese diplomats pressured university over Taiwan event Years after an official reprimand over attempted interference at NZ universities, Chinese diplomats have again tried to pressure event organisers

Chinese diplomats unsuccessfully lobbied a New Zealand university over its decision to host an event partly funded by Taiwan's govt – years after getting an official reprimand for similar interference. More on @newsroom.co.nz ($): newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/16/c...

Ticket to the Mountain Goats secured, oh yeahhhhh

Willis and Peters butt heads over foreign affairs Budget bid First, they clashed over ferries – now, a fracas between the Finance Minister and Foreign Minister over trade and diplomatic funding has been revealed. Sam Sachdeva reports.

New docs have shed light on a months-long Budget battle between Nicola Willis and Winston Peters, with the latter accused of ignoring a request to find savings and advocating for projects that were “not clear or well-articulated”. More here: newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/05/w...

Thank you! Will go for a recce/some happy snaps this weekend

NZ First wouldn't have returned to Parliament without Labour voters Labour lost nearly half of its voters at the 2023 election. New data shows the surprising parties they switched to.

Former Labour voters made up more than half of all of those who voted for NZ First in 2023. Without them, the party would have failed to reach the 5 percent threshold and would not have returned to Parliament.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/03/n...

Ahem #NZ dig your mask out, open the windows, stay home if sick. It’s getting worse not better rn

Hearing rumours the Trump announcement tomorrow is that he's going to buy a luxury Queenstown pad now the Govt has (partially) lifted the foreign buyers ban #hotscoop

Labour Party press release Headline: Christopher Luxon’s ego gets ahead of him, again Text: Christopher Luxon is claiming a major international business investment secured under Labour as his own. “In an embarrassing faux pas, Christopher Luxon is claiming a $7.5 billion investment in New Zealand as something he’s done, when in reality he’s had very little to do with it,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. “He’s the FIGJAM Prime Minister. He spends so much time and energy claiming everything Labour did was wrong, now he’s claiming Labour’s achievements as his own. “In 2021, Amazon announced the investment Christopher Luxon took upon himself to ‘announce’ this morning.

Looking forward to Chippy being asked to spell out exactly what FIGJAM stands for - bold choice for a PR...

Just adding that reporters are not the most sympathetic lot but the media would be more robust/competent if pay and conditions were improved and it was seen as a viable career for more people.

Ah I did not realise, thank you! A colleague had some photos of Auckland council billboards, but on closer inspection they look like individual houses rather than public sites

People of Wellington: are there any spots with particularly large concentrations of local election placards/billboards? We need to get some file photos and I'm all about efficiency

Tinker Traitor Soldier Spy Special report: NZ's first convicted would-be spy thought he was playing a fascist James Bond, only to learn he was actually Johnny English.

Paywall now lifted on a story nearly six years in the making: How a passionate neo-Nazi joined the army, started a homegrown white nationalist movement while serving, then tried to defect overseas when the police caught up to him – bringing military secrets with him.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/08/25/t...

'Urgent reform' needed for living wills, MPs say

A years-long fight to change the health system after her mother's death may yet prove successful for Louise Duffy, with the Government asking for advice on her proposals. Sam Sachdeva reports.

Christopher Luxon wants to see house prices rise But the Prime Minister says "we don't want our whole economic growth be driven by speculative house price inflation".

Ah yes, the age-old myth that you can somehow have both "modest" house price increases every year, but also affordable housing...as long as salaries rise by ~30 percent (or more) over the next few years 🫠 www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...